March 30, 2012

It was dinner hour, or supper if you live in the Midwest as I do. It was perfect timing. Not that I had anything to do with the timing. It just happened. I had stopped by the grocery store to grab a few items and the aroma of the evening's skillet meal wafted through the aisles. In a mini kitchen, strategically located in a heavy traffic pattern, a chef prepares a meal then doles out samples. Ingredients are stocked close at hand so shoppers can grab-n-go and duplicate the meal at home. The recipe's title, sausage artichoke bolognese with sun-dried tomato bread, and its ingredients, had a gourmet flair... and the sample was wonderfully flavorful. Perfect for guests that I was expecting at my table in a few weeks. After closely scrutinizing the jars' labels and not seeing any questionable ingredients, I gathered my supplies.

Cook the ziti pasta. Brown the sausage. Open the jars of flame roasted peppers, sun-dried tomato pesto, and marinated artichoke hearts. Add along with the few remaining ingredients, heat, and eat. Quick and easy. Time left over to serge the edges of a piece of fabric for a tablecloth and pick a wildflower bouquet... or prepare a fresh salad and cheesecake for dessert, as the chef suggested.

Prepare pasta according to package directions, then drain. To remove sausage casing, butterfly by cutting almost in half lengthwise then turn sausage over and peel casing away. Brown crumbled sausage in oiled skillet until no longer pink then add garlic, peppers, tomatoes, artichokes, and pesto. Cook 3-4 minutes or until heated. Stir in cream and olives; Cook 2-3 minutes or until sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Stir parsley and pepper into sausage mixture. Top pasta with sauce (or mix it into the pasta), then sprinkle with cheese. Makes 8 servings. Recipe suggestion: Layer with lasagna noodles instead of ziti pasta.

Sun-Dried Tomato Bread

Preheat oven to 350. Coat baking sheet lightly with oil. Unroll 1 can French bread dough onto work surface and coat with pesto, up to 1-inch from edge. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp cheese; roll lengthwise. Place on baking sheet, seam side down; sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp cheese. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden. Note: I taste-tested this bread in the store, but it was a bit doughy and made with white bleached flour, so I didn't make it at home. I liked the flavor, though, so I'm going to experiment with a loaf of fresh whole-grain French bread.

March 26, 2012

I know what you are thinking. Yes, I can hear you. As much chocolate as she (that would be me) eats... Hmmmm. If you have been following my blog with any regularity, you know that I have had a run on chocolate recipes in the past several weeks-chocolate banana squash (or pumpkin) pudding, oatmeal date brownies, chocolate beet cake, and today... homemade Mounds Candy Bars. The key is ingredient choice and moderation in consumption. The consumption moderation is more difficult for Dick than me, therefore ingredient choice is paramount. Recently, Dick has experienced a side affect that directly correlates to his chocolate consumption-a speech impediment.... specifically an inability to speak clearly. Most recently it occurred as he was passing through the kitchen as I sat at my computer placing an online order for sprouting seeds. I asked him to check my green snow pea and daikon radish inventory. His mumbling was indecipherable, so I reluctantly headed to the kitchen to complete the task myself. I knew in an instant. He had been into the mounds bars... again. I was relieved. His speech impediment was only temporary.

Homemade Mounds Candy Bars

2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes

1/3 cup liquid sweetener (e.g., agave, maple syrup, or corn syrup) I chose agave and reduced the amount by half, so I used half of 1/3 cup.

Toss the unsweetened coconut, liquid sweetener, and salt (if using) until it's evenly coated. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Finally, mix in the coconut oil. Mold the mixture into a cylinder (if you prefer authenticity) or a ball and place on a plate or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl placed over hot water. With a spoon, roll the coconut balls in the melted chocolate until they are completely covered. Allow excess to drip off, then put them on a plate to dry. (Note: To make Almond Joy Bars, place a whole almond on top of the coconut ball, then spoon chocolate over top allowing it to flow down the sides.) Recipe adapted from The Wannabe Chef Blog.

A bit of history... According to Hershey's website, Peter Paul Manufacturing Company began selling Mounds Bars with sweet coconut and dark chocolate in 1921. Almond Joy Bars came out in 1946 and included milk chocolate, coconut and whole almonds. After the Peter Paul Company merged with Cadbury in 1978, Hershey's took over the company in 1988 and continued to make Peter Paul Almond Joy Bars.

March 24, 2012

An email from my sister-in-law, Julie, about making homemade yogurt spawned a journey that eventually led me to A Year of Slow Cooking Blog for directions to make yogurt in a crockpot. On a regular schedule for several years now, I have been making heated yogurt using a yogurt maker as well as unheated yogurt using a direct-set powdered starter and a propagated mother culture, but this is a new method for me. I love its simplicity but, most importantly, the milk is heated to a lower temperature (145°-150° compared to 170°-180° in traditional heated yogurt-making) which helps to maintain more of the milk's nutritional integrity.

Add 1/2 gallon (8 cups) whole milk (raw unpasteurized or pasteurized but not ultra-pasteurized) to crockpot set to low setting. Cover and heat for 2 1/2 hours. (Note: The milk's temp in my crockpot is 145°-150° after 2 1/2 hours.) Unplug the crockpot. Leaving the cover on, let it sit for 3 hours. (Note: The milk's temp in my crockpot is 120° after 3 hours.) Remove 2 cups milk and whisk with 1/2 cup store-bought plain yogurt with live active cultures like Stonyfield or Dannon. Heidi over at 101cookbooks.com recommends Stonyfield yogurt because it claims to have three additional "live active cultures" (making a total of six) including L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei, and L. rhamnosus. Add milk and yogurt mixture back into milk in crockpot and stir to combine. (Note: The milk's temp in my crockpot is 113° after adding the refrigerated store-bought yogurt.) Put lid on crockpot and wrap with a heavy bath towel. For additional insulation, I chose to wrap a quilted mattress cover around the towel. The elastic edge folds over to enclose it in a tidy package. Let it sit for 8 hours. If you normally go to bed at 11:00, start the yogurt-making process at 5 p.m. and it'll be ready to rest overnight wrapped cozily in its covering while you sleep for 8 hours or so. You'll have fresh yogurt waiting for your breakfast. (Note: The milk's temp in my crockpot is 93°-96° after being wrapped for 8 hours, so you can see it has held its heat very well.) You can save 1/2 cup of the present batch of yogurt as a starter to make the next batch, if you like, but the strength of the cultures decline after several batches then you need to go back to adding 1/2 cup store-bought plain yogurt. My yogurt maker's instruction booklet says "no more than 5 consecutive generations because the active cultures in each successive batch will diminish over time." This yogurt isn't as thick as store-bought yogurt, but you have two options. 1)Toss out preconceived notions about what yogurt "should look like" and enjoy every bite of its amazingly fresh, unadultered state. (Stonyfield adds pectin for thickness.) 2)After chilling, strain the yogurt through a cheesecloth-lined strainer placed over a bowl in the fridge to collect the liquid byproduct (whey), then whisk it briefly. The end result will mimic the thickness of Greek yogurt. Don't toss out the whey. Use it in your smoothies. Dick's and my favorite way to eat homemade yogurt is to top 1 cup of it with one diced apple, 1 tbsp raisins, 1 tbsp finely chopped walnuts, and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon. We eat this most every day.

March 22, 2012

When I showed it to my daughter, Jessie, she suggested my granddaughter might want to "turn it wonky" when she covered her doll lying in the little bed. I looked at her strangely because I had never heard that term used before, so I thought she had made it up. She often made up silly words when she was a little girl. Do you believe wonky is word? It really is! It means lopsided and crooked. Jessie explained that if my granddaughter lay the quilt wonky (lopsided or crooked) on her doll's bed, the quilt pieces would be positioned straight. Because of the bit of fun she was having with me, I dubbed it a wonky quilt.

Now, compare it to the ingredients in this recipe. Discussion closed. Well, not quite shut tight. For me, a noteable exception to the use of Jell-O Instant Pudding is a refrigerator dessert that I have made sporatically since my grown kids were little. Now, it has also become a favorite of my son-in-law. There are exceptions. Let's be real here.

Chocolate Banana Squash (or Pumpkin) Pudding

1-15 oz can pureed squash or pumpkin

2 ripe bananas (ripening increases sweetness)

2 tbsp baking cocoa

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Whirl all ingredients in a blender.

For sheer enjoyment, here's a You Tube video of a 1950s T.V. commercial advertising Jell-O instant pudding as a "busy day dessert."

March 16, 2012

My 10 year-old granddaughter loves nature and my 6 year-old grandson had recently studied owl pellets* in school... and I live to sew. So, I organized some supplies in an old muffin tin and began to add details to fabric owls that I had stitched on my sewing machine. Black button eyes and ivory-colored embroidery thread beaks for the barn owls. Yellow button eyes and black embroidery thread beaks for the great horned owls. Dark brown button eyes and yellow embroidery thread beaks for the barred owls. Oh, yes. I had done my research. Because my grandkids would surely know these things. *What are owl pellets? Owls lack teeth so large chunks of prey are swallowed. The meat is digested and the bones, feathers, and fur are regurgitated in the form of a pellet. By examining the bones, it is possible to determine what rodent the owl ate.

Tree branches were strewn about my floor as one owl after another began to perch upon them, clinging to twigs by their embroidery thread "talons," in preparation for their cross-country trek to their new home. Strung onto a piece of jute to form a garland, I suggested to my grandkids that they might want to cluster some of the owls into groups of two or three, then hang them across a window and add a tree branch for authenticity. (Enlarge for a closer view.)

My owls are an adapted, flattened version of plump ones created on the Moonstitches blog. You can find the plump owl instructions here and a variation of my flattened version here. Are you familiar with the book Flat Stanley? The story is about a boy whose bulletin board flattens him one night while he is sleeping. At first he is sad, but then he finds all sorts of things he is able to do because he is flat. One thing he can do is fit into an envelope and travel through the mail to visit friends in faraway places. When my granddaughter was in kindergarten, each student was instructed to send "Flat Stanley" to someone for a week's adventure then he was to be mailed back to the kindergarten class with a letter (and some optional photos) telling of his adventures. Because they are flat, these owls can be easily sent through the mail on an adventure just like Flat Stanley. If you receive an invitation from your child's or grandchild's class to take part in a Flat Stanley activity as I described, wouldn't it be fun to make some of these flat owls to incorporate into Flat Stanley's adventure at your house? What excitement it would generate with the kindergarten students when the envelope was opened to discover that not only had Flat Stanley returned from his adventure but a "parliament" (group) of owls had accompanied him!

March 15, 2012

A "clean" brownie recipe for your guilt-free enjoyment. Oatmeal Date Brownies from Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking by Roz Denny and Christine Ingram. The secret of these moist, chewy brownies is not to overbake them.

Oatmeal Date Brownies

5 oz dark chocolate (I used 1-3.5 oz 70% dark chocolate bar.)

4 tbsp butter, melted

¾ cup quick-cooking oats (I have used regular oats and I have also used my Bosch flaker attachment to process oat groats which produces a slightly thinner product than regular oats.)

¼ cup molasses sugar (I have subbed coconut crystals and rapadura.)

3 tbsp wheat germ (I have subbed ground flaxseed or hazelnut flour.)

1/3 cup milk powder (I have subbed almond flour.)

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup walnuts, chopped

1/3 cup dates, chopped

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

Break the chocolate into a pan set over very gently simmering water. Add the butter. Heat just until melted, then allow to cool. Oil a square cake pan. (I lined an unoiled pan with natural, unbleached parchment paper.) Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk dry ingredients, walnuts, and dates together in a bowl. Add beaten eggs and vanilla to chocolate mixture. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Pour the mixture into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until it is firm around the edges yet still soft in the center. For moist, chewy brownies be careful not to overbake them. When cool, cut into 8-16 servings.

March 12, 2012

Most Japanese craft books are written in... well, Japanese. I have been somewhat successful at following diagrams without the benefit of English text, but it is a struggle. Zakka Sewing 25 Japanese Projects for the Household by Therese Laskey + Chika Mori has been translated into English. The first project from the book that I chose to make is a basket to hold my clothespins. But after finishing it, I'm thinking... Easter basket, anyone?

If you decide to make this basket, here are some hints not included in the book that make it truly simple.

1)dual feeder walking foot - It helps keep the fabric layers from shifting by advancing the upper layer in unison with the bottom layer. I have found it to be especially beneficial when sewing with cotton batting (i.e., Warm & Natural). 2)A light box for tracing is a useful craft room device. My Porta-Trace is equipped with a fold-out support for tilting which isn't essential but provides comfort. Also, for tracing, I recommend a fabric marking pen that has either washable or disappearing ink. 3)Pellon Stitch-N-Tear, which is available at Joanns, pinned or basted to the fabric's backside prevents puckering when embroidering especially on lightweight fabric. Carefully tear away the excess allowing some to remain directly behind the embroidery stitches. This will provide stability and camouflages the thread color and knots.

March 11, 2012

Because of its higher smoke point, ghee doesn't burn like butter, but it adds a wonderful, rich flavor like butter, so it is perfect for sauteing and frying. Making ghee involves separating the water from the milk solids. The easiest method is to make it in a crockpot. It couldn't be easier. Place 1 lb butter in an uncovered crockpot set on low. Go on with your life, since there's absolutely nothing required of you. No need to stir it. No need to check on it. In 8 - 12 hours, skim off the browned solids floating on top and discard, then ladle the beautiful, glistening yellow liquid ghee into a cloth-lined* funnel placed over a pint jar. Be careful not to include the milky sediment at the bottom of the crockpot. The ghee will solidify as it cools in the jar on your kitchen counter. It may be stored at room temperature or, for longer shelf-life, store in the fridge. *Tightly woven 90-count 100% cotton cheesecloth folded in four layers works perfectly. The ghee easily washes out of the cheesecloth in a soapy water-filled basin or bucket rendering the cloth usable over and over. I serge around the edges of the four-layer square of cheesecloth to prevent fraying, but you don't have to. 90-count 100% cotton cheesecloth may be purchased here.

I love ghee for frying fish, potatoes, and eggs, but one of my favorite ways to use ghee is a fried egg from a pastured hen atop sauteed bok choy. A side of Alvarado St. Bakery Sprouted Rye Seed Bread and it's one "Mmmmm... this is good. Oh, this is soooo good!" after another.

Just saute the bok choy stems and leaves in a little ghee. After a few minutes, slide the bok choy over to one side of the pan to finish sauteing while frying the eggs. Serve the egg on top of a mound of bok choy. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

March 10, 2012

My friend, Cindy, gave me a thick... I'm talking thick Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking by Roz Denny and Christine Ingram. As I flipped through the pages to familiarize myself with the book's overall focus, my fingers stopped flipping when my eyes fell upon an avocado and lime ice cream recipe. I've stated several times in my posts how much I love my ice cream churn and this recipe satisfied my adventurous food spirit. A match made in Heaven.

The addition of avocado added a rich creaminess unlike any ice cream I've had before. The avocado flavor is so subtle that, if you aren't privy to the recipe's ingredients, you won't recognize it. I will share the recipe in this post when my notes turn up. I gave the recipe a substantial makeover. I remember using one avocado instead of two and added the lime juice to the pureed avocado to prevent it from turning brown. I also made a cooked custard base rather than the recipe's raw egg version. I'm sure my notes are buried underneath my fabric strewn all about. Oh, just wait. In Monday's post... see what I made with the fabric and a bit of embroidery thread.